In the recent past, that system and apparatus for controlled transmission and reception of radio and television signals which consists of directing transmitted signals from earth-based transmission stations to satellites in geostationary orbits above the earth and relaying those signals, by means of the satellites, back to the earth to be picked up or received by earth-based receiving stations has become well established and is being put to ever-increasing use.
The majority of persons actively engaged in the establishment, maintenance and use of the above system, for the purpose of convenience, refer to and identify that system as "satellite T.V.".
In establishing, expanding and maintaining satellite T.V. for good and practical reasons, the satellites are propelled from earth by rockets and are set in substantially precise predetermined orbit in what is called the "Clark belt" or "geostationary satellite belt". The geostationary satellite belt is an area about 22,300 miles above the earth's equator which extends about and is substantially concentric with the equator. The satellites set in orbit in the Clark or geostationary orbit belt travel at a speed matched exactly with the earth's rotation and are such that they are effective to receive signals from and return signals to those portions of the earth's surface which are within the line of sight therebetween. Accordingly, for example, those satellites which receive signals from and return signals to the North American continent are those satellites which are set in that segment of the Clark or geostationary orbit belt which are in the line of sight from the North American continent. The circumferential extent of that segment of the Clark belt in which satellites serving the North American continent are set is approximately 80.degree.. Those satellites now in orbit in the noted segment of the Clark belt are spaced apart, circumferentially of that belt approximately 5.5.degree.. It is anticipated that in the foreseeable future the number of such satellites within the segment of the Clark belt serving the North American continent will be doubled and that the spacing between adjacent satellites will be reduced to close to 2.degree. or 3.degree..
In the practical use and operation of the satellite T.V. system served by the above noted relay satellites, the signal receiving stations at the earth's surface are designed to and capable of receiving and using the signals relayed and/or transmitted from but one satellite at a time. Accordingly, the signal receiving stations must be capable of selectively receiving the signals from a desired or selected one of the satellites without receiving interferring signals from the other, nonselected satellites. To this end, the signal receiving stations are characterized by and/or include large accurately made concave dish antenna which are carefully aimed at a selected satellite to receive the signals which are received by and relayed back to earth thereby.
It is to be noted that the signals relayed or transmitted by the satellites are directed or beamed at specific areas of the earth's surface, which areas are referred to as the satellite "footprints" and that the signals transmitted thereby can only be effectively picked up by the dish antenna of receiving stations which are positioned within the footprints of the satellites.
In the overwhelming majority of receiving stations, particularly those receiving stations which are provided for domestic use and/or for limited special use, the dish antenna of the receiving stations are installed and permanently set in line with and receive the signals transmitted or relayed from one selected satellite. While some of those antennae may be capable of being adjusted and reset to receive the signals from other of the satellites, such adjustment and resetting of those antennae is a major time-consuming operation which requires the exercise of special skills and in some instances, cannot be defined as a mere "adjustment" but rather, is considered and likened to "reinstallation" of the antennae.
In a limited number of special receiving stations, the dish antennae are equipped with special and extremely complicated and costly adjustable mounting means which are operable to selectively move and set the antennae in line with and to receive the signals transmitted or relayed from any selected one of the satellites in whose footprints the antennae are positioned. Such adjustable antennae mounting structures greatly increase the number of signals that can be received and the useful capacity of the receiving stations.
Those prior art adjustable antennae mounting means of which I am aware include remotely controlled motor driven ground-supported turn-tables or the like, atop which the dish antennae are mounted and which include various remotely operable means to adjust the positions of the antennae related to the turn-tables, for fine adjustment and aiming of the antennae. To date, to the best of my knowledge and belief, those remotely controlled adjustable antennae mounting means provided by the prior art have been extremely complicated and costly means and/or structures for those very large and heavy T.V. dish antennae which are provided for and used in commercial and/or industrial receiving stations, where abundant space to accommodate such structures is available and where the high cost for such structures can be justified and/or is of no major concern. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the prior art has failed to provide a relatively inexpensive and practical remotely controlled, motor driven, adjustable T.V. dish antenna mounting means which is effective to selectively aim and set the greater and ever-increasing number of small and relatively inexpensive dish antennae for domestic receiving stations, in spite of a large and ever-increasing need and/or demand for such a mounting means.
While more might be said with respect to the physical makeup and function of all that is entailed in and goes to make up the transmitting stations, relay satellites and receiving stations for satellite T.V., such relates to matters which do not directly affect the mounting, moving and setting of the dish antennae of the receiving stations with which my invention relates and therefore need not and will not be further considered.